Valve-cap.



W L. W. HARDY.

VALVE CAP.

APPLIOATION FILED DB0. 27, 191s.

1,099,037. Patented June 2, 1914.A

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www WH0/"dg Acap embodying j UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

LUCIEN W.- HARDY, OF SYCAMORE, GEORGIA.

VALVE-CAP.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, LUCIEN W HARDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sycamore, in the county of Turner and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valve-Caps, of which the following is a specification.

The stems of air valves vare generally protected by means of caps which are usually threaded thereto and when it is required to inflate the article or to remove the valve from the stem it is necessary to displace the cap and frequently the cap becomes lost and the valve stem goes unprotected and frequently becomes obstructed by foreign matter lodging therein.

The present invention provides a sectional valve cap which admits of access to the stem of the valve without requiring'the removal of the cap therefrom. In accordance with this invention the parts comprising the valve cap are hingedly connected, one of such parts being threaded to Ythe valve stem and the other part being free to be turned aside to admit of access to the valve stem for any purpose, the swinging part of the valve cap when closed being held in place by means of a suitable catch.

The invention consists of the novel features, details of construction and combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawing, forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a valve stern and the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, the full lines showing the hinge part of the valve cap closed and the dotted lines showing such part when turned aside. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lower member of the cap. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper member of the cap inverted.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description, and indi-- cated in all the views of the drawing, by the same reference characters.

In accordance with this invention the valve cap comprises an upper part 1 and a lower part 2, the latter being internally threaded to screw upon the valve stem 3. The parts 1 and 2 are connected by means of a hinge joint 4 and are held closed by means of a catch 5 .which is hinged to the part 2 Specification of Letters Patent.

l Application filed December 27, 1913.

Patented June 2, 1914.

serial No. 809,009.

and is adapted to engage the part 1. In general form the valve cap as a whole resembles the usual valve cap, `the same being provided with a projecting part 5 in the outer end of which is formed a notch to act as a wrench to enable the valve, not shown, to be screwed into or unscrewed from the stem 3 in the manner well understood. The upper end of the lower part 2 is beveled and the lower portion of the outer part l is enlarged. Interlocking means are provided between the parts l and 2 to relieve the hinge connection 4c and catch 5 of strain when pressure is applied for turning the valve cap either to screw the same upon the stem orto unscrew the cap from such stem, or when the valve cap is used in the ordinary way as a wrench for tightening or loosening the valve. The interlocking means consist of notches and projections, the notches 7 being preferably formed in the beveled end of the part 2 and the projections 8 being preferably formed in the inner lower edge of the part 1. The walls of the notches 7 toward the hinged side of the cap are beveled to permit the projections 8 entering and leaving said notches when closing and opening the cap.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing it will be understood that the invention provides a valve cap which admits of access being had to the valve stem for the usual purposes without requiring the removal of the valve cap therefrom. When it is required to gain access to the valve stem the catch 5 is disengaged from the part 1 and the latter is turned to one side out of the `way as indicated by the dotted lines in Figf2. When the part l is closed upon the part 2 it is retained in place by means of the catch 5 as indicated most clearly by the full lines in Fig. 2. Inasmuch as the cap is not required to be removed from the valve stein and is not liable for such cap becoming misplaced or lost.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with t e accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have ldescribed the principle of operation of the the device shown is merely illustrative, and that. such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claim append ed hereto.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is:-

A cap for pneumatic valves, the same comprisinga lower part internally threaded and having its upper end outwardly beveled und formed with notches, an outer part hingedly connected to the lower part and having its lower end inwardly beveled and formed with inner projections to enter the notches in said lower part, and a catch connected to said lower part and adapted to engage the 15 upper part of the valve to hold the parts thereof in line.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUCIEN W. HARDY.

Witnesses:

J. H. ADAMS, E. L. BROWN. 

